LOUIS A. TURPEN AVIATION MUSEUM / SAN FRANCISCO COMMISSION AVIATION LIBRARY
San Francisco International Airport’s Louis A. Turpen Museum & Aviation Library is the first and only accredited public museum and scholarly library located in an airport. It promotes public appreciation of aviation history and commemorates the history of the airport. The museum and library was design-inspired by the 1937 San Francisco Airport Terminal.
The design establishes a spatial heirarchy focused around the expansive volume of the Exhibition Hall, creating a dominant axis from which supporting spaces respond. This axis provides a dialogue across the grand space, uniting architectural elements such as the elaborate stone floor, two-story columns, curved steeling framing, and two grand staircases. The Library Stacks are intimate in scale while still providing a visual and spatial connection with the upper level Exhibition Hall. Large model airplanes can be suspended from the davits in the open curved steel frame providing a unique aeronautical sculptural experience.
Location
San Francisco, California
Status
Completed 2001
Size
11,000 gross square feet
Services
Architecture
Programming
Interior Design
Construction Management
Project Features
Climate Controlled Exhibits
Archive Storage
Ornamental Iron Scrollwork
Intricate Marble Stone Floors
Cost
$3.5 Million
Awards
2002 California Design Award, SARA
2002 National Design Award, SARA